Flesh and Shadow
by KT the Shimmer Skank
Summary: The vampire hunter Jet Black, his assistant Ed, and new recruit Spike are off in search of the notorious Faye Valetine; however, there are others searching for Faye who may be quite dangerous. I think you guys will enjoy this fic. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE


Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop or anything that goes with it.  
  
  
The universe is a varying mixture of all kinds of races and cultures and lifestyles, and deep among that mix are a few beings who are different from the rest of us. They are humans who possess ungodly strength and lack mortality; they are strangelings who bear the burden of human emotions and demon-like wickedness. These beings will never be accepted, and because of that they have come to despise the rest of the human race. They cause terror and ruin throughout the universe. There are a few brave souls, however, who are willing to hunt down these creatures and end their threat on mankind. Unfortunately for these vampire hunters, they do not know the depth of the world they are tapping into.  
  
"What are you doing?" Vicious asked the young woman. Her face was drenched with mortified sweat as she laid huddled in a corner, clenching her fingers together in and mumbling words. He shook his head with a cruel smile. "Are you praying? Is God going to save you?"  
"Angel de Dios, mi guardian querido, tu que me traes el amor de Dios..." she mumbled, trying to avert her gaze from the cold eyes of the man who hovered over her. "...mantenente siempre a mi lado para iluminar..."  
"Stop!" said Vicious, grabbing hold of the young woman. "God cannot save you from the natural order of things." He kissed her softly on the forehead.   
"...para dirigir y guiar..."  
"Enough, I said! There is no God to save you. I am God, do you understand? I am God!"  
He leaned in close to the crying woman, cut her throat with his dagger, and licked up the blood as it fell.  
  
"What are you doing?" Spike asked Ed.  
She was busy clicking the keys of her computer, surfing the net faster than Spike's eyes could follow. "Edward is looking for vaaaaaampires..." she replied spookily, cackling as she continued to type.  
"Well, I don't think you're going to find them in there." He patted the computer and walked away. He yawned as he meandered through the ship, looking for something of interest. He had assumed that a job title as interesting as "vampire hunter" would require a bit more excitement than he was currently experiencing.  
"Is there always this much down-time in this gig?" Spike asked Jet as he entered the cargo bay.  
"You call this down-time?" Jet asked, lifting a large crate. "Why don't you give me hand, then, and load up some of the rations?"  
"Well, you know I would, but that's not really in my job description..."  
Jet raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. I guess I should warn you of the rules then. If you don't help load the food, you don't eat the food."  
Spike immediately grabbed a crate and lifted it onto the shelf. "Is this where you want these?" he asked.  
  
"Vampires! Vampires!" Ed shouted from her computer. Jet ran in to see what was up. She motioned towards the computer like a game-show prize girl and said seductively, "Edward has found a vampire on Ganymede."  
"Faye Valentine," said Jet, reading the computer screen. "Last spotted in Raudway's Casino on Ganymede. Good work, Ed."  
"Blood-suckers, neck-gnawers, mwahahahahaha..." she sang, tumbling her way around the Bebop.  
Jet strectched out his arms and yawned as Spike walked into the room. "We're headed for Ganymede. We can finish loading up in the morning and then we'll take off."  
"Sounds great," said Spike, placing a cigarette in his mouth. "I'll see you then."  
"Where..." Jet began, but Spike had already walked out the door.   
  
"You keep coming back," said Vicious, shaking his head at Spike. "And you keep believing that you're going to beat me."  
Spike shrugged and grabbed a stick. "I've done it before, haven't I?"  
Vicious nodded. "A rare occurence, I might add."  
Spike laughed as he waited for his turn. Funky jazz tunes were playing low from the jukebox and cigarette smoke lingered in the air of the pool hall. "So you'll never guess what my latest gig is," he said as he cued up his stick for his turn.  
"What?"   
"I'm going off to hunt vampires."  
Vicious paused, soaking in this information. "Really?"  
"Yeah. I'm leaving for Ganymede tomorrow. Gotta find some vampire named Faye Valentine. How's that for a name, eh?"  
Every muscle in Vicious' body stiffened. "Yeah. Sounds like fun, Spike."  
Spike shrugged. "It's a living. You'd be surprised how much the cops pay for a dead vampire."  
"I can only imagine..."  
  
A few hours later, Spike left the pool hall and headed down the darkned streets. Coming from the opposite direction was a woman. A woman with snowy flesh and endless golden hair. Spike's heart froze as he passed her. She was a sad woman, that much was obvious by looking into her eyes. She smiled at Spike with her cherry lips and suddenly he felt like he was floating. The world around him became less and less distinguishable; all he could see was the woman who stood beside him. He briefly forgot who he was and where he was going. This creature had complete control of him.  
It felt like an eternity, but it was only a matter of seconds. The moment passed, and the two continued walking in their respective directions.  
  
The woman kept walking and entered the pool hall that Spike had just left.   
"Julia," said Vicious, greeting her as she walked over to him.   
"Hello, Vicious," she replied, kissing him softly. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"  
"We're going to Ganymede."  
Julia raised an eyebrow. "Ganymede?"  
Vicious nodded. "It seems that someone has tracked down our good friend Faye." 


End file.
